Ji Seong-Ho’s remarkable story
Geostrategy-Direct North Korea defector Ji Seong-Ho’s incredible story of escape and survival was a highlight of U.S. President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address. Following are excerpts from (more…)
China’s ethnic Korean envoy to Pyongyang cites ‘complex’ reasons for not visiting
Geostrategy-Direct China’s special envoy for North Korea, who is an ethnic Korean, has yet to pay a visit to Pyongyang. Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou recently told reporters that (more…)
News of Korean thaw countered by reports from the North of massive crackdown
Geostrategy-Direct Though it has engaged in high-level official talks with South Korea that resulted in its participation in the upcoming Winter Olympic Games, North Korea is conducting a large-scale (more…)
Tales of 2 North Koreas: Pyongyang and outside Pyongyang
Geostrategy-Direct Stores stocked with a variety of goods, including luxury items, are easy to find for the well-off in Pyongyang who are flush with foreign cash. Outside of North (more…)
Pressure rising: China tightens borders; Pyongyang extends fraternal hand to Seoul
Geostrategy-Direct The South Korean government reported on Jan. 5 that the year 2017 witnessed the lowest number of North Korean defectors reaching South Korea. The report cited China’s massive (more…)
Fueling Pyongyang on the high seas: Chinese, Russian-flagged tankers turned off transponders
Geostrategy-Direct Chinese and Russian-flagged tankers have reportedly transferred oil to North Korean vessels at sea in violation of UN Security Council sanctions. The oil tankers are believed to have (more…)
Disappearance of top North Korean tied to power struggle under Kim Jong-Un
Geostrategy-Direct Two top leaders who sat at the same table when Kim Jong-Un ordered North Korea’s latest nuclear test ended up going in different directions in the regime’s hierarchy, (more…)
Soap operas telegraph evolving priorities: From military-first to party-first
Geostrategy-Direct The world turns quite differently in the hereditary dictatorship that is North Korea. The contrasting styles of the last two generations of the Kim dynasty is reflected in (more…)
Debris from past North Korean missile launches have provided rich intelligence
Geostrategy-Direct U.S. and Japanese vessels continue to comb the seas near northwestern Japan in search of debris from North Korea’s Nov. 29 test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). (more…)